By Julia Neuman

A retrofuturistic audio movement is rising up from the glowing neon ashes of the ‘80s. Dubbed retrowave (alternatively synthwave), it’s a celebration of everything glorious that decade had to offer in music, film, art, and video games.

Retrowave takes us out of reality into full-blown ‘80s nostalgia, evoking images of cyberpunk cityscapes, suspense-packed encounters and high-speed joyrides through neon and steel. The artists who master the genre use synths as their weapon with precision and passion. Sometimes retrowave tracks are fit for solitary reflection in the dead of night. Other times, they’re indulgent thrill rides for the senses.

Interesting retrowave scenes are developing in France, North America, and Finland (thanks largely in part to the stellar work of extreme metal/progressive label Blood Music). Websites such as New Retro Wave are keeping tabs on all the latest happenings within this expanding realm. New artists and fans are multiplying weekly, which is a considerable feat for a genre with such a niche appeal.

We’ve compiled this list of nine important, active artists doing big things with retrowave. Keep an ear out for the beautiful nods to ‘80s film scoring pioneers such as Vangelis and Jan Hammer.

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Perturbator

If there’s anyone to trust to carry the retrowave torch, keep it burning, and do crazy tricks with it, it’s James Kent, AKA Perturbator. Dubbing himself “half human, half synthesizer,” he imbues the synth with life of its own. The France-based artist’s latest LP, Dangerous Days, displays his unparalleled knack for balancing aggression, darkness, and sensuality.

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Mega Drive

Dallas-based Mega Drive has plenty of razor-sharp, infectious hooks that, with enough repetition, might feel like they match your body’s own frequencies. His moniker comes from the late ‘80s Sega game console of the same name.

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Carpenter Brut

France’s own Carpenter Brut churns out high-powered electro that’s more subtle in its ‘80s appeal. His tracks come with a harder edge than most, crashing through whatever boundaries have already been set up in the genre. Considering he’s begun playing shows with a live band, his best work is probably yet to come.

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Flash Arnold

Flash Arnold is a promising retro artist out of Finland, merging iron-pumping, Schwarzenegger-inspired track names with a liberated ‘80s feel. Not much information about Flash is revealed publicly, but he’ll be flexing his live muscles at the end-of-the-summer Flashback Future Disco in Helsinki with other greats like Perturbator, Dan Terminus, and GosT.

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Nightsatan

This Tampere-based trio call themselves “laser metal,” but that’s just a fancy term for their unabashed brand of ’80s horror worship. After releasing their debut in 2010, Nightsatan appeared in a movie called Nightsatan and the Loops of Doom. The passion for the classics runs deep in everything they do, from bizarre horror melodies to quirky band photos.

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Dead Astronauts

Male-female duo Dead Astronauts perhaps best embodies the futuristic aspect of retrowave, blending contemporary electronic styles with an unmistakably ’80s backbone. Haunting vocal entanglements from Hayley Stewart and Jared Kyle drip over precise, oftentimes minimalist beats.

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Lazerhawk

Garret Hays, AKA Lazerhawk, has developed a cult following since his beginnings in 2010. With his 2013 release Skull and Shark, Hays proved himself to be one of the most skilled dark retrowave artists on the map today, drawing obvious influences from horror and sci fi.

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Dan Terminus

2015 was a big year for Dan Terminus. The French musician signed to Blood Music and released a massive LP, The Wrath of Code. Now, his work is finally reaching a well-deserved audience. The fact that he occasionally partners with Perturbator is a sweet bonus.

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Zombi

Okay, they’re not technically retrowave. But what’s a good list without an outlier? Spacing out to 2011’s Escape Velocity is to bask in an invigorating mixture of synth, krautrock and hypnotic space soundscapes. With a retro feel of its own, Zombi is a wildcard addition to the modern synth movement.